On politics in the Golden State

Gov. Jerry Brown, state budget get higher marks in new poll

The passage of Proposition 30 has buoyed Californians' feelings about Gov. Jerry Brown and the state budget, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll released Wednesday.

Forty-six percent of adults said the tax-hikes, which were pushed by Brown to avoid deep cuts to public schools, made them feel more confident about their state's finances.

Fifty-five percent said they would rather pay higher taxes and get more government services, while 40% said the opposite.

Brown earned a job approval rating of 48%, his highest yet in a PPIC poll.

The poll still found some trepidation about the budget and state spending.

"They are strongly opposed to raising their state taxes and strongly in favor of spending limits," said Mark Baldassare, the institute's president and chief executive, in a statement.

The results echoed a USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll released in November. The number of registered voters who said the state is on the right track doubled since August 2011, but that still remained a minority view at 38%.